Belarus WetlandsThis small former Soviet Republic features a remarkable concentration of thousands of bogs, left by retreating glaciers 10,000 years ago. These wetlands influence the ecology of all Europe and harbor unique biodiversity, including insectivorous plants, wildlife, and the largest breeding population of threatened aquatic warblers, they are also vital to climate control. Bogs are as much as 15 times more effective than forests of the same size at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As a result of large-scale development, prolonged draining and peat removal, the bogs are at risk of disappearing forever. Alcoa Volunteers Fabio Abdala (Juruti, Brazil), Alina Blyum (Samara, Russia) and Vicky Tang (Yennora, New South Wales, Australia) will contribute to the first large-scale study of bogs in Belarus to further their conservation.